Internship with the Lutheran World Federation Can Change a Life

Church Universe Has Expanded For Augsburg Dean and Zambian Reverend

Nearly 30 years ago, Rev. Susanne Kasch was the first woman theologian to complete an internship with the Department for Theology and Studies (DTS) of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF). "My stay at the Lutheran World Federation and in Geneva broadened my horizons incredibly," remarks Kasch looking back on her November 1979 to August 1980 stint in the secretariat of the global church communion.

"My knowledge of the world expanded. I learned a lot." At present she is dean of the Augsburg Evangelical Lutheran Church District and pastor of Augsburg's St.Anne’s Church. "During my internship at the Lutheran World Federation, I learned to look beyond the confines of my regional church to discover the roots of the worldwide Lutheran communion," the church leader said. To her view, an important outcome of her internship was learning how other churches around the world are structured.

Coming into contact with Lutheran theologians from Africa, Asia and America radically changed her way of thinking and her approach to dialogue. She speaks enthusiastically about her experiences of almost three decades ago. She benefited especially from her encounters with people from all over the world. "An internship with the Lutheran World Federation can change a life," Kasch affirms.

She sees the LWF consultation "Theology in the Life of Lutheran Churches: Transformative Perspectives and Practices Today,"currently taking place in Augsburg, as a platform for similar transformative experiences. As dean of the city church district, Kasch has been charged with the task of welcoming the many theologians and stakeholders from around the world and dialoguing with them.

Her hope has been that the participants feel at home in Augsburg and engage in lively discussions about the relevance of Lutheran theology in the contemporary world. Kasch notes that at the LWF she "came into contact with liberation theology and feminist approaches that opened new theological depths for me." In her pastoral praxis, she continues to benefit from her contextual experience in Geneva. Dean Kasch recalls as particularly meaningful the atmosphere at multi-confessional worship in the Ecumenical Center.

Duty travel, too, gave her the opportunity to observe firsthand how Christians throughout the world belong together and how those who need support are strengthened. Rev. Rolita Machila (26) of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Zambia has had a similar horizon-expanding experience as a DTS intern. "I will return to my home church as a theologically and interculturally enriched pastor," she comments. Machila has served at the LWF Secretariat since January 2008. She finds being with the LWF a very intense endeavor, offering opportunities to deepen knowledge.

"I am meeting people from many parts of the world and discussing with them issues that are currently relevant in their churches," Machila said. The work of the LWF inspires her to practice theology from an ecumenical standpoint and to incorporate the global perspective of the Lutheran communion in her future pastoral ministry. During her time at the LWF Secretariat, Machila is focusing on the theological aspects of climate change. Her internship will end in May 2009.